Tara Allen
Contact: Karyn Turla
A technique to encourage students to engage with the content prior to class and feedback to the instructor so that class time can be used to focus on areas that students most need assistance.
This can be used at any point in the semester.
The goal of this technique is to encourage students to engage with the content prior to class and allow the instructor to adapt their coverage during class based on areas of student need. The benefits of JiTT include using class time for active learning strategies that enhance student learning, identifying areas of student confusion to tailor class time, and providing students with timely feedback on areas in which they have misunderstandings or confusion.
With JiTT, prior to class, students complete a short assignment online (i.e. watching a video covering content and completing a quiz, web-based assignment or discussion board post based on the reading, asking students about the “muddiest point”,etc.). The instructor reviews the assignment results a few hours prior to the class period in which it will be covered. One example of an assignment could be asking the students to reply to a Canvas discussion board post answering the question “Based on the reading for today’s class, what was the “muddiest point”?” or “What was the most interesting point?” or “What is something that you want to discuss further?” so that the instructor receives feedback and can tailor the class based on student feedback. If most of the class responds with similar answers, the class plan might be adjusted. However, this also allows the instructor to respond to individual students if their “muddiest point” is unique to them. Instructors can make this short online pre-class assignment for a grade or just for completion points instead.
Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT). Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [Dec. 21, 2023] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/just-in-time-teaching-jitt/.
Just-In-Time Teaching. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning. Retrieved (Dec. 21, 2023) from https://citl.illinois.edu/citl-101/teaching-learning/resources/teaching-strategies/just-in-time-teaching
Brown, David. (Nov. 2001) The Muddiest Point. Campus Technology. Retrieved (Dec. 21, 2023) from https://campustechnology.com/articles/2001/11/the-muddiest-point.aspx
Reference List
Novak, Gregor. (2011). Just-in-time teaching. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 128, 63-73. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/tl.469
Novak and Marrs. (2017). Just-in-Time Teaching in Biology: Creating an Active Learning Classroom Using the Internet. Cell Biology Education. 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.03-11-0022
Simkins and Maier. Using Just-in-Time Teaching Techniques in the Principles of Economics Course. (2004) Sage Journals. 22(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/089443930426864